Early last Saturday morning I took my oldest daughter with me to walk a labyrinth. I had been trying to find time to spend with each child separately, so they’d have time with mommy without competition from their siblings. It hadn’t been something I’d been very successful at accomplishing without a plan, so I decided on a weekly schedule to rotate among each of them, and this outing was the first.
Walking a labyrinth is something I’ve done before. I found to be a profound spiritual practice, but I hadn’t done it in awhile, probably because the only one I knew about is about an hour away from where I live. So when I learned about a website for finding labyrinths, I knew I had to see if there were any nearer to me.
Turns out, there are quite a few! I searched through the list and realized that there was one in our little downtown green space near city hall. When I offered the idea to my big girl, she immediately agreed and we made plans find the labyrinth on Saturday morning.
Labyrinths can be made of different materials, like gravel, grass, bricks or stone. They can be small or large, single or double. The one I walked before was a dramatic double stone labyrinth in the middle of a clearing in the forest. So when we found this labyrinth, I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed. It was a 30 foot pavement space with a blue spray painted labyrinth pattern on top of the concrete, with quite a bit of engine noise from the nearby highway. Not so peaceful, I thought. But since the point of the labyrinth is to walk it, I figured that maybe I’d still find some value in the activity. Besides, I was really there to spend time with my daughter, so even if it wasn’t great, we’d have that time together, so it would be good anyway.
In the end, the experience was still a good one. Even with the traffic and noise, even without the majesty of the trees and stone patterns, I was reminded of why walking a labyrinth is a spiritual practice. I’ll share some of my lessons below, but first, let me explain how a labyrinth is generally used. First, walking a labyrinth is a kind of walking meditation. When you enter the labyrinth, your walk is to stay on the path as it leads you around, back and forth until you reach the center. Then you follow the path back out to the entrance. A single labyrinth will have one way in to the center and one way out. Something about walking the path is very calming and centering.
There are also different ways to use your mind during the walk. Walking a labyrinth is not specific to any religion, or religion at all. I use the walk to get closer to God, but however you want to practice is up to you. One practice I’ve used is to ask a question you would like clarity on before you enter the labyrinth. Then you walk the labyrinth, listening quietly for the answer. Often, the walking will bring the whispered answer to you. Then you sit in the center of the labyrinth, holding the answer in your heart (I usually pray here). Then you walk in the truth of the answer as you follow the path back out of the labyrinth. I like this practice, but there are other ways to enjoy a labyrinth. This was the description outside of the labyrinth we walked on Saturday.
No matter how you choose to use a labyrinth, I found some profound truths about the walk within them that were also true about life. Here’s what I found…
You can’t always see the way to where you want to go.
When you walk a labyrinth, it’s not a straight line to the center. You go back and forth, and sometimes the path takes you further away from the center before you actually get there. Sometimes, especially if you’re feeling impatient, you wonder if you’re ever going to make it or if you’ll just wander around this patterned walkway for the rest of your days in an endless loop. But you always get there. The path actually does lead to a destination.
There are moments of clarity.
While you’re meandering through the path, you can’t see far enough ahead to know how you’ll get to the center. If you try to look that far ahead, you will wander off the path, so you can only look a few steps ahead at a time. But, there comes a moment when you round a corner and all of a sudden you can see the way into the center. It feels like a breakthrough, almost an accomplishment! It’s just like in life – so often we feel like we’re wandering around making no progress at all, when all of a sudden an opportunity or accomplishment is realized and you find out that you’ve been moving toward it all along.
Stay on the path.
The best time to walk a labyrinth is when you haven’t set a time limit on your walk. When I’ve tried to squeeze in a walk, my brain wants to hurry me along through the path and leads me into feeling impatient and rushed to find the center. I’m so busy looking for the way to the goal, I’m not enjoying the walk! But if I’ll focus on the walk, enjoy the path and the steps I’m taking, I will be peaceful in the path while I’m moving toward the center. I’ll get there at some point, but I get to enjoy the path and the goal.
If you’ve never walked a labyrinth, I encourage you to try it! You can find the ones nearest to you by searching for Worldwide Labyrinth Locator and filling in your location. Keep your search broad – you’ll find more choices. And enjoy the walk!
Have you ever walked a labyrinth? What kind of practice do you use to keep you centered in your spirit? Please share in the comments below!